What it's like to volunteer

Sam became a Teenage Cancer Trust volunteer after being supported through his own cancer diagnosis at 16. Read Sam's story and find out why he volunteers.

"I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF TEENAGE CANCER TRUST"

“I was diagnosed when I was 16 years of age with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is blood cancer. I became a volunteer for Teenage Cancer Trust after having treatment myself. I felt like it gave me a direction in life and I really wanted to help people who had helped me. The environment that Teenage Cancer Trust creates is fantastic. It's vibrant, it's bright and it just makes you feel a little bit better when you are feeling at your worst.

“London Marathon day is a really special day. The thing I find most inspiring is you see so many people, thousands of people, run past you and you know that each one of them has their own story and are supporting an individual charity or family member or someone close to them.

“I've always wanted to run the London Marathon. I was inspired by my dad who’s done it five times now but I'm unfortunately not going to be able to because of my mobility issues caused by my cancer. Being part of the Teenage Cancer Trust cheering squad on the day is something that makes me part of it.

“I think the cheerers are so important for the runners. It can give them a little kick if they're feeling a little bit low and they hear their name shouted out. Sometimes you have runners who are walking or in a lot of pain so you just need to get behind them and really give them a boost and make sure you tell them how amazing it is that they're doing the London Marathon today. Runners say that the atmosphere is what, what gets them to come back each year.

“Everybody gets so excited when we spot a Teenage Cancer Trust vest coming up the road. I give it a good shout of, 'everybody make some noise for Teenage Cancer Trust!' and you always get a good wave and a cheer from the runner as they go past. I think some other charities were a little bit jealous of us, all the noise we were making!”